DWTS' Brooke Burke: "Bruno Could Have Been Nicer, But..."

In case you haven't heard, after judge Bruno Tonioli called Michael Bolton's "Hound Dog" jive the worst in all 11 seasons, the singer publicly complained that he thought the harsh remarks were "inappropriate and disrespectful."

So does show cohost Brook Burke think Tonioli should apologize for attacking Bolton? Sure, Tonioli "could have been nicer," but...

"Bruno is on the show to speak his mind and to be brutally honest," she says. "He's Bruno, that's why we love him."

She added, "It's been an intense week. Between Sarah Palin and Bruno, it's been intense."

And Bolton isn't letting up. "Bruno should search his soul for what he is doing on that show," he told People.com earlier today.

While Burke thinks it "took a lot of courage" for Bolton to speak up, she's still scratching her head over the now infamous performance that began with the singer crawling out of a doghouse on all fours. "I'm still trying to understand the choreography. How and why?" she laughed. "I think that should be the focus of the attention."